Wild tiger escapes from Nandankanan Zoo

--Wildlife PCCF orders probe

BHUBANESWAR: The wild tiger, which had entered into the white tiger safari of the Nandankanan Zoological Park here on April 30, escaped from the enclosure on Friday night by jumping over the 18-feet iron railing of the enclosure.

According to zoo official sources, a team led by wildlife ranger Anjan Mohanty had put the tiger in the Enclosure-32 (C) on Friday night for its proper care and treatment. The team had kept it near the enclosure of tigress Sara, but the wild animal jumped off the enclosure only after a few hours of entering into it. 

When the tiger entered into the enclosure, it gradually became normal and took rest after taking bath in the pool inside the enclosure, said Nandankanan Zoo Director Sudarshan Panda. However, it later fled from the enclosure, he added. “We have collected the pugmarks of the tiger outside the enclosure, but the animal is not in the zoo area,” said Panda.   

When the zoo officials knew about the missing of the tiger, they started search operations to locate it, but failed. Top zoo officials along with forest officers rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation.

Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Wildlife) JD Sharma ordered an inquiry into the incident. He assured the zoo visitors and nearby villagers of the sanctuary area not to get scared over the missing of the tiger. DFOs of Chandaka, Dhenkanal and Athagarh were directed to track the movement of the wild animal.

A team would continue search operation for the animal in the zoo and in the sanctuary area. The zoo officials would fix a trap camera in front of the tiger enclosure to keep an eye on the movement of the big cat, they informed.  

Notably, a 13-member technical expert team in its decision at a high-level meeting here on May 15 had said that the wild tiger would stay in the zoo till its place of origin was not identified.

The committee had submitted its report to the State Government and the PCCF (Wildlife) regarding its decision. On the basis of the report, a final decision would have been taken by the Government whether the tiger would stay in the zoo or not.

Even some civil society organisations like the Nandankanan Anchalik Nagarik Manch had staged a demonstration in front of the zoo gate demanding housing of the wild tiger for the benefit of the zoo and wildlife conservation.

Manch convener Subash Chandra Patra on Saturday threatened that they would gherao the PCCF (Wildlife) office if the wild tiger now harms anybody.